The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 w/ 261 Crank....please explain

First off I'm fairly new to this site and I must say you guys rock. I'm just a young punk kid trying to restore a '59 chevy 1/2ton. Just recently I pulled my block, head, and crank and took them down to the local machine shop. The guy told me that my crank was a 261 much to my surprise. I planned on rebuilding a 235 so I bought gaskets, water pump, oil pump, rebuilt carb. I plan on reusing connecting rods. I know a 261 stroke will give more hp, but is a 261 crank a good thing? can I still buy everything for a 235? i'm all ears

pork-

http://www.stovebolt.com/bboard/cgi-bin//ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=005285#000001

Well, you gotta figure out if you've got a 235 or a 261. 1959 was many moons ago, somebody could've swapped in a different year 235 or even a 261. They look almost identical on the outside, so you'd have to post the casting numbers cast into the front passenger's side of the block to know for sure. Heck, there were a bunch of differences in different year 235s... Differnces in motor mounts, water pumps, oil pan gaskets, oil pumps, bearing inserts, oil passages, lifters, pushrods, etc. You'd have to know the year of your engine before you could order some parts, like water pump, bearings, oil pump, etc.

Post the casting numbers from block, head, crank, rods and we'll be able to tell you more about whats going on.

I've just built a radical 235 for my '54 Bel Air sedan. 4bbl carb and dual exhaust... So you've come to the right place, just gotta do the detective work about whats been done to your truck by previous owners.

welcome aboard...

chip

The 235 and 261 use the same crankshaft. The stroke is the same for both engines. I have had a 261 crankshaft in my 235 since about 1980. My original crankshaft was accidentally damaged by the machine shop that rebuilt the motor. The machinist had spare crankshaft from a 261. He used it to replace my damaged 235 crankshaft.

Basically, the engines are the same. The main difference is the bore, which meant larger pistons, all 261's had solid lifters and a little wilder cam. Just about everything else was the same. To know the real story, you have to look at the engine numbers and head number. If you will post them here, we can tell you exactly what you have.

hey guys....

Originally, the "machine shop guy" stated it was a 261, but he later called back after I had posted and stated it was in fact a 235 crank. I did check all the numbers on the head, block and tranny and all were '58 except the tranny which was '59. Thanks for the help.. I read all the posts just to learn as much as possible. Hopefully, I'll be able to return the favor and give some help one day....

cheers,
pork-